


The Devil Incarnate

by scarletladyy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-08
Updated: 2010-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-13 14:01:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletladyy/pseuds/scarletladyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Voldemort has won the war, Lucius gets first pick of all the Mudbloods, and chooses none other than Hermione Granger. However, life as Voldemort's right hand man is not as easy as it seems, and soon Lucius finds that his wife and son spend more time with Granger than he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Devil Incarnate

The stench of rotting bodies and filth was poignant, and though the actual corpses were hidden behind tents, the wind from the early autumn breeze made the smell even more pungent. The ground was wet and sloppy, mud adorned with speckles of blood here and there, while the landscape was undoubtedly ugly with makeshift homes in every corner that the eye could see. Even so, that didn't stop Lucius Malfoy standing over the little shanty town feeling extremely victorious, his son at his side, ready to pick out a Mudblood to serve in his home.

"I'm sorry it's not quite to your standards, Mr Malfoy." The man who'd been assigned main care of the Mudbloods wore much cleaner robes than any of the living bodies he could see, and he had a grin on his face as wide as a Cheshire cat. "I believe you get first pick."

Lucius gave the man a belittling look before he spoke. "Of course. I was told you had the most _prized_ possessions off to your left."

"Right this way, Mr Malfoy," the man said, leading them through makeshift streets of mud, past open tents and cardboard houses filled with the living. Their bodies were covered in dirt, and Lucius turned up his nose at them, feeling sick at the thought of being so close. "These were the prominent ones during the war."

Looking amongst the cages, there weren't many he recognised, and they were mostly male. There was one woman in the corner, baring her teeth like a wild animal and her hair all in tatters. When the Mudblood keeper saw Lucius looking at her, he explained who she was.

"That there, Sir, is Hermione Granger."

Lucius' eyebrows rose considerably, and a smirk lit up his face. "Is it really? Potter's little Mudblood, eh?"

"It stinks," Draco remarked, turning his nose up at the captives. "That can't be Granger. She looks feral."

"After the Mudbloods were rounded up," the keeper explained, "many turned wild in an attempt to protect themselves. Her particularly."

"Mm," said Draco. "She always was a stubborn little bitch in school."

Lucius didn't even need to think about who he wanted to claim. As a present for helping the Dark Lord win the war, Lucius had been given first pick from the little shanty town, and he knew it would be the icing on the cake if he had Potter's best friend as his slave. "It will be her," he said simply.

"Good choice, father," said Draco, grinning like it was the happiest day of his life.

"Here, girl," the keeper said sharply, beckoning towards Granger. "Here, now!"

Sighing, Lucius elbowed the keeper out of the way and made his way into the tent. He roughly grabbed Granger's hair and literally tore her out, not caring how much pain she was in. As an attempt to get rid of his hold on her, she started kicking out with her legs and flailing her arms about in an attempt to grab his.

"Truth be told, I'll be glad to get rid of her," said the keeper, adding his input without remembering who he was talking to.

Ignoring the pathetic little man, Lucius tightened his grip and led Granger down the makeshift mud streets by that. She tried to dig her heels in the ground in protest, but that just ended with her falling flat on her arse in the mud.

"Didn't bother wearing any knickers, eh, Granger?" Draco said, smirking, as Lucius hauled her to her feet via his hold on her hair. "Not like you, you're usually a prude. Or has whoring yourself out for anyone and everyone turned you into a slut?" Granger growled through her teeth, though she didn't reply.

"Quiet, Draco," said Lucius. Whilst he enjoyed the Mudblood being reduced to nothing but filth, he didn't want his son speaking such language in front of scum. "There's a time and a place for that."

"Sorry, Father," he muttered, and Lucius heard him kick Granger for good measure. That he didn't mind, though he couldn't deny to himself that he felt a little agitated being beside such beings that were lower than him, so he felt extremely relieved to be on the other side of the shanty town and able to Apparate.

"Take my arm," he said to Draco, making sure he had Granger properly before Apparating back the Manor. Relieved to be in a place worthy of him, Lucius pushed Granger off his arm, sending her cascading her to the floor. She didn't stay there long, though, jumping to her feet to start screaming at him.

"You son of a bitch, Malfoy! How dare you!"

Lucius walked over to the drawing room and opened the doors wide, hearing scuffling as he turned around. Granger had tried to run away, but Draco had her firmly by the arm. He was smirking, obviously wanting praise, but Lucius didn't give it that easily. "In here and on the sofa," he said simply, and watched as the smirk fell from Draco's face. Once the three of them were inside, Lucius cast a binding spell on Granger. Her arms were tied tightly behind her back, and her ankles were pulled together.

"Nice one, father," said Draco, his usual smirk back in its place as he sat next to Granger, watching her struggle.

"Leave us," Lucius said to his son coldly.

"What?" Draco gasped. "But --"

Lucius glared at Draco, and Draco needed no more than that to know his father wasn't joking. Once alone, Lucius turned to the struggling girl on the sofa. Her hair was bushy, tangled and unkempt, and the robes she wore were covered in holes, dirt adorning all the places where the fabric still held together. There was filth on most of her exposed skin, and she had a funny smell to her, one that made Lucius feel positively ill.

"You may as well stop struggling, girl," Lucius replied as he walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room. "You'll probably want to save your strength for later."

"What do you mean?" she asked, distress obvious in her voice, as much as her face tried to hide it.

Lucius poured himself a small glass of firewhiskey, then turned to stare at her. "You'll find out soon enough. While you are in my house, you will follow my rules."

"Not likely," Hermione muttered, and Lucius did nothing but smile as he sat on the sofa opposite her. He'd come across many women like her in the past, and though she proved a little more spirited, he was sure it wouldn't take long to break her.

"Firstly, you will obey orders from everyone in my manor. That includes my wife, my son, the house elves, servants and any visitors. The only exception is if they ask you to do something that contradicts what I say, or any of my rules." He took a sip before he went on, noticing the glare on her face. "Secondly, though I'm sure you're already aware, magic is completely prohibited, for all Mudbloods. I don't find it conceivable that someone as low as you could have developed it naturally, so we shall only have to assume you stole it. If you are caught using magic, my hands are tied, and you will be sentenced to death, regardless of who you were during the war."

"But --" Granger started to speak, but Lucius put a hand up to silence her.

"Thirdly, you must address me and my son as Master or Sir at all times, and my wife as Mistress. Guests will be Sir or Ma'am. Finally, when you are not working you may roam the house, providing you are not locked up. Occasionally my wife may set you household chores, which you will complete the Muggle way and to the best of your ability. Do not attempt to escape, Mudblood, it won't be worth it, and we'll know the second you try to."

"How?" she asked, her voice soft and the expression on her face confused.

Out of his pocket, Lucius pulled a dark, thin bracelet, and walked over to clip it onto her left arm. The second it was on, it was bound by magic, and only Lucius was allowed to remove it. "By that bracelet. If you try to leave, you will be severely punished and we will not be held accountable for our actions. Now, before I send you to your room, you should know that, as my slave, I can do whatever I wish with you, from selling you to killing you, and nobody will give a damn. You may once have been the brightest witch of your age, girl, but now you are nothing more than a Mudblood whore." He snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared at his feet. "Take her to her room and untie her."

"Yes, Master," the house elf said shakily.

Lucius finished off his firewhiskey before placing it on the table. He'd let Granger get accustomed to her surroundings before he had any sort of way with her, and besides, he knew his wife wouldn't be best pleased with the new member of the household. He suspected Granger would probably suffer at Narcissa's hands, and as he thought of all the things his wife could do, he felt his cock slowly rise.

*

It had been ten days since Lucius had brought Granger to the manor as a slave, and his wife had made more of an impact on her than he had. Every time he crossed the halls or entered rooms, he found her there scrubbing the floors or getting rid of the dust on the shelves. He'd wanted to make sure she knew her place, but he'd been extremely busy with missions for the Dark Lord. Finally, though, he had a night off, and was determined to spend it making sure she knew exactly where she belonged.

"Mudblood," he said quietly as he walked into her room at the back of the manor. There were no windows, so it was dark and dank, with only a candle for light. There was a metal bed in the corner, with a thin and worn mattress on top of it. There wasn't much else in the room, bar a broken chest of drawers and, ironically for her, an empty bookcase. The floor beneath him was stone, and it didn't look as though it had been cleaned in years. He knew it must be cold on her bare feet, but perhaps she'd got used to it with the short and thin robes his wife had provided for her.

"Wondered when you were going to show up," Granger muttered, huddled up in the corner of her bed. Her head was resting against the wall, with her legs tucked close to her chest.

"Choose your words carefully," he said darkly. "And I've been busy. Now, follow me, Mudblood."

"I don't think so," Granger said, a little smirk playing on her lips. "I'm sure I know what you want."

Lucius held his anger down, though he knew if she carried on at this rate there wouldn't be anything left to use. "You will obey my commands, Mudblood, and remember your place. You are to address me as Master or Sir. Show some respect."

"Respect?" she scoffed. "Why should I respect you? You're nothing but a murderous, vile man. Like to add rapist to that list, would you?"

Lucius leapt forward until he was only a centimetre from her, smacking her across the face with all the strength he could muster. She fell sideways onto the bed, a little yelp escaping, though with the blood seeping from her tongue, it was obvious she'd quieted most of what she wanted to shout. "You do not speak to me like that. Follow me, now." When she didn't move, he roughly grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her to the floor.

"Get off me!" she yelled, but he ignored her, dragging her out of her disgusting room to his bedroom. It wasn't that far, just up a staircase and off to the right, but it felt like a lifetime with her fighting him every step of the way. As soon as they were safely in the room, he let go of her and charmed it so there was no way she could make an escape.

"Your head wouldn't be hurting if you hadn't fought me," he said simply as he watched her rub her sore head. It seemed easy to him: obey and you wouldn't suffer, so he didn't understand why she was so determined to disobey him. "Besides, I see you obeyed my wife. Why so much trouble with me?"

"Because you're scum," she spat, but jumped out of the way when he lunged towards her. "At least she's decent."

Although he appreciated his slave was respecting his wife, Lucius was extremely unsatisifed with the way she was treating him. "You need a bath," he said simply, looking over her still dirty and unwashed body. He indicated towards his en-suite, and for once, she didn't defy him, simply going straight in there. She must have been really wanting one, though if she thought he was doing it for her benefit, she was very wrong.

After several minutes, he entered the bathroom himself to see exactly what she was doing, and found her relaxing with her eyes closed, as if this was some sort of holiday. He cleared his throat loudly and she shot up, water splashing everywhere. "What do you think this is, girl?"

"I was just --" Granger looked as though she didn't know what to say. She was caught extremely surprised so her usual defiance seemed to have disappeared. "Sorry."

"It's no bother," Lucius said casually. "I can help you with the rest of your bath, since you clearly can't be trusted to have one yourself."

"Don't you dare!" she said defiantly, but Lucius ignored her as he picked up the washcloth and began to clean her body.

"For a Mudblood, you have quite smooth skin," Lucius said simply as he brought the washcloth over her breasts and round her nipples, making a point to linger there longer than necessary. He looked into her eyes, but she was staring away from him into the wall, probably trying to pretend this wasn't happening. Once he'd cleaned her arms and legs, he took great pleasure in washing her genitals, causing several jumpy reactions from her. He chuckled as he dropped the washcloth into the water. "Wash your hair."

Lucius found he quite enjoyed humiliating her, though he didn't want to go as far as to wash her hair for her. That was servants work, and he certainly wasn't going to do it. She didn't take long this time, scurrying out in a white, fluffy towel and looking around the room for some robes. When she didn't find any, she turned to him and spoke quietly.

"I'd like to get dressed."

"What a pity," Lucius said as he sat on the bed and crooked his finger at her. "Come here."

Granger shook her head. "No. I want some clothes."

"That isn't going to happen," he replied. "At least not yet. And do you really think your defiance is going to earn you any privileges? You've already earned yourself a whipping, girl, and at this rate, we're going to be on fifty by the end of the hour, let alone the night."

"A whipping?" Granger said softly, her eyes wide at the thought.

Lucius nodded. "Did you really think you were going to get away with disobeying and disrespecting me? Several times you have failed to address me appropriately."

"I just thought --" she started, but didn't seem to be able to find the words to carry on.

"You will receive your whipping tomorrow morning," Lucius responded. "But for now, unless you want to make it any worse, you'd better get over here and drop your towel."

Granger did as she was asked, to Lucius' delight. At last she was starting to comply.

"I won't be taking your virginity," Lucius said, disappointment evident in his voice. "My son will have the honour of that. However, you have another way you can please me." He nodded towards his trousers, feeling as though he had all the power over her now as she unzipped his flies and pulled them down, following them with his pants. His cock sprang free and she edged towards it. "Hurry up, girl."

"Yes...Sir," she said, but she glared up at him as she did so. He wanted to laugh at how she tried to show her defiance while still technically being submissive.

"Don't look at me like that," he said in a warning tone as she took him into her mouth. No sooner had he said that than he screeched in pain. Without conscious thought, his fist swung out and connected with Granger's face, forcing her to fall to the floor. She had bitten down on his cock.

"You stupid, stupid girl!"

"You...deserved...that," she said through gritted teeth as she lay holding her face on the floor. He could see blood sprouting at the corner of her lip, and he took pride in his accurate shot.

"Father?" Draco came running through the room just as Lucius had put his, thankfully, undamaged cock away. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but she won't be tomorrow," he said. Catching Granger's gaze he told her, "You're getting fifty."

Draco looked from Granger to Lucius, taking the very wise decision not to ask what happened.

"Get her out of my sight," he spat at his son, glaring at her as she was taken away. He knew that by the end of tomorrow morning, she certainly wouldn't have that defiant look in her eyes.

*

Lucius woke up the next morning, knowing he could finally get his revenge on the Mudblood. He didn't know how she dared do such a thing, but he was certainly going to beat the disobedience out of her. He dressed quickly and went down to the dungeons, where he knew the servants would have strung Granger up, ready for her whipping.

As he walked into the room he saw her hanging there, but ignored the pleasing sight in favour of making his way over to the cupboard in the corner to select the whip he would use. Since it was her first transgression, he decided to start with something that wouldn't rip her to shreds, though if he wanted to, he could.

"Are you sorry, Mudblood?" Lucius asked her as he turned around and took in her full form. She was shaking a little, but she seemed to be trying to hide it from him as much as possible.

"No," she said at last, though her teeth chattered as she spoke.

"You soon will be," Lucius growled, taking his place behind her. Without wanting to waste a moment, he brought the whip down on her back harshly and took pleasure in her screams. Again and again he whipped her, making sure to go over the same welts to add extra impact. By the time he'd hit forty, she was quietly sobbing, since he seemed to have beaten away her voice. For the last ten, he changed his position slightly, and brought the whip down on her thighs instead, for her back was one bloodied mess. Once done, he dropped the whip and walked round to the front of her. "I'll ask you again. Are you sorry, Mudblood?"

It took a minute for Granger to answer, which he gathered was from lack of strength rather than defiance by her next words. "Yes, Sir."

Pleased with his result, he stroked her hair softly before undoing the shackles that held her up. She dropped to the floor, landing with a thud at his feet, and she didn't make any attempt to get up. "I hope you've learnt your lesson, girl."

Granger nodded, and he picked her up into his arms, taking her to her quarters. He dropped her onto the bed and snapped his fingers for one of the house elves to tend to her. He knew she wouldn't be able to perform her assigned household duties in this state, and the last thing he needed right now was Narcissa's nagging.

Later that evening, at teatime, he was surprised to find Granger serving the meal. He knew it must be Narcissa's doing, and though the blood was gone from Granger's body and robes, she was extremely weak and slow to dish out their food.

"Hurry up," Lucius chided her, and he watched her feeble attempts to move faster at getting the soup to all the family members. As he looked around the table he saw Narcissa staring off to the distance, while Draco had his eyes firmly on Granger. "Where is Portia?"

Narcissa's face went stony. "She was caught stealing from us."

"I see," Lucius said, and he really did. If Portia had been caught stealing, then the only punishment for her would be death; it would just be a matter of time before it was carried out. They were all well aware that waiting provided the victim with an excessive mind torture, sweetening their inevitable punishment, for they never knew when it was going to happen.

"I see you taught Granger a lesson," remarked Draco.

"Indeed," Lucius said. "Let's just hope it sticks."

Tea was a fairly quiet affair, and for the most part he ignored the presence of Granger in the corner. Portia had been their usual servant girl, and though he'd never really cared for her, he hated change.

"Granger will take over all of Portia's duties," said Narcissa, taking a spoonful of soup.

Lucius merely nodded. He had no problem with that as long as the Mudblood was available for anything he wanted her for. "Of course."

When they'd all finished, Granger cleared their plates and Lucius swiftly left the table, turning around just before he left the room. "Come to my room when you're done." He didn't wait to see if she agreed, for he knew she was an intelligent girl, and after her punishment this morning, he didn't think she'd be eager for more.

Lucius was pouring himself a glass of firewhiskey when there was a soft, nearly inaudible, knock on the door. "Come in," he said, and watched as Granger entered the room, her eyes trained on the ceiling and her back to the wall as she shut the door. "My little lesson this morning really did have an impact on you."

"It did," she responded quietly. "Sir."

"Good girl. Now, let's try this again, shall we?" he asked as he sat on the bed, pointing a finger towards her. "Come here." As she did last time, she obeyed and undid his trousers and pants, letting his erection into the open. "Don't you dare bite."

"I wouldn't even dream of it," Granger said, somewhat sarcastically, as she took him into her mouth. It felt so good Lucius didn't bother to chastise her about her disrespectful language. She may have been a virgin, but he didn't doubt that she'd done this before by her seemingly fantastic abilities. Her tongue worked its way over his shaft and she deep throated him for several seconds. Yes, she was definitely well versed in this.

"My, you're good," he panted as she swirled her tongue over his ever sensitive head. As he felt himself nearing climax, he grabbed roughly onto her hair and started to fuck her face, ignoring her gasping and obvious gag reflex. Her little moans sent him over the edge, and he came quickly into her mouth. "Swallow," he demanded, and she did as asked. Lucius lay back onto the bed, exhausted from the day's events.

"Is there anything else you want, Sir?" Granger asked as she stood up, and when he shook his head, she let herself out. She appeared glad to get rid of him; for his part, he was glad she was still being obedient.

*

Lucius was awoken that morning by a commotion outside his room. The winter sun shone on his face, the glare harsh on his still sensitive eyes. A look at his clock told him it was late in the morning. He dressed and went to see what all the shouting was about, only to find Narcissa scolding some girl who seemed to have dropped what looked like ribbons all over the floor.

"Sorry to wake you, dear," Narcissa smiled at him. "But it seems our staff are less than impressive these days."

"What's going on?" he asked coldly, fearing she was organising another one her balls.

Narcissa beamed. "I'm preparing for a luncheon I'm having with the ladies this afternoon. We're getting together to discuss the Autumn ball."

"Of course," Lucius noted, his fears realised. His wife loved nothing more than throwing elaborate parties, and though he didn't care for them himself, he attended just to please Narcissa.

"You, Mudblood!" Narcissa yelled down the corridor, and Lucius looked round to see Granger with her hands full of trays. Her eyes were bright red, and there was a bruise forming on her cheek. "What are you doing on this floor? Those are for downstairs."

"Sorry, Mistress," Granger replied, and hurried off down the stairs.

"I see she obeys you well," he remarked, a little put out that she wasn't as keen to obey him.

Narcissa glared at him. "I don't sexually violate her."

"What does it matter? She's only a Mudblood."

"Indeed, but you are a married man, and I am perfectly capable of tending to your needs," Narcissa snapped, stomping off down the hallway without another glance at him. Lucius loved his wife, he really did, but she had never been the best in bed, being quite a prude and unwilling to try new things.

Sighing to himself as servant girls rushed up and down the corridors, hands full of things for Narcissa's luncheon, he went to Severus' house. He'd get some peace there before having some friends around the manor later. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that whenever Narcissa had her ladies round, Lucius had his men come over in the evening.

"Lucius," Severus said, greeting his friend as Lucius stepped out of the Floo.

"Severus," Lucius regarded him. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, but my wife has decided to hold another one of her luncheons."

Severus smiled. "It's no bother at all. How are you getting on these days? I hardly see you, though I suspect we'll be round tonight?"

"Of course," said Lucius, "and I'm fine, I've just been rather busy."

"Oh?" Severus asked as he poured them both a firewhiskey. "What with?"

Lucius usually hated anyone prying into his life so much, but Severus was an old and trusted friend, and so he chose to share with him. "The Dark Lord has been sending me on raid after raid, hitting Wizarding families' houses just to check if there are any Mudbloods hiding there. Apparently there are still some attempting to stay uncaptured."

"Aren't there always?" Severus said tiresomely. "It's taking me forever to go through all the applications for Hogwarts, you know. I have to weed out all the Mudbloods pretending they have magical ancestry."

"Ahh, I remember now," replied Lucius. "You were made Headmaster, were you not?"

Severus nodded proudly. "I was, though it comes with a lot of extra responsibilities now only Purebloods and Halfbloods can attend."

"That is how it should be, though," said Lucius, and Severus nodded in agreement. "I hear, though I'm not sure how true this is, that the Dark Lord is planning on a Mudblood Correction Facility. Try to teach them some manners and respect, so they are able to serve our needs appropriately."

"It seems like a lot of work," Severus mumbled, flicking through several papers on the table in front of him. "But I do think that would be a great investment to our world. In fact, a little bird told me you had a little addition to your household."

A smile played on Lucius' lips. "I do. I'm sure you remember Hermione Granger?"

"You have Hermione Granger?" Severus seemed absolutely astonished. "As a slave? Granger, really?"

Lucius nodded. "You used to teach her, did you not?"

"I did," Severus replied. "Right little know it all, she was. Never did know how to shut up."

"Perhaps you should instill whippings as a punishment in Hogwarts, then," smiled Lucius. "That seemed to shut her up pretty fast."

"Oh, those are only for the really unworthy," Severus said, and Lucius laughed, knowing he couldn't disagree. "How is she taking it, then?"

"She seems to obey my wife without any trouble," Lucius remarked, "but she's a little more stubborn when it comes to me."

Severus topped up his and Lucius' firewhiskey. "And Draco?"

"I'm not sure," Lucius said. "I haven't seen him around her much. I would assume similar to myself, though, particularly as he can be a spoilt brat when he doesn't get what he wants."

Severus chuckled. "Can't he just. And you don't think Granger will give him what he wants?"

"I'm quite sure she'll fight to her last breath to keep her virginity intact," Lucius laughed. "Such a pity Narcissa objects to me sleeping with her, I'd quite like to have a go."

"Perhaps Narcissa doesn't have to know," Severus said.

It was most certainly worth considering that what Narcissa didn't know couldn't hurt her, Lucius thought, but he wasn't sure he wanted the first time he was unfaithful to be with a Mudblood. "We'll see. Now, I best be getting back to the manor. You'll get everyone up to speed for tonight, won't you?"

"Certainly." Severus nodded.

Lucius stepped into the Floo, arriving swiftly back at the manor, which was still buzzing with servants. He entered the kitchen, finding Granger decorating cakes in the corner. "You," he said harshly, and she looked up, sadness in her eyes where her defiant glare usually was. "You will be serving at my soiree tonight, girl. Do not backchat me, and don't speak unless spoken to. Eight in the parlour, and don't be late."

"Yes, Sir," she responded, and Lucius was so taken aback by her obedience he nearly stopped in his tracks on the way out. To do so, though, would have been inappropriate, and so he kept going, bumping into his son just as he was about to ascend the stairs.

"Ah, Draco." Lucius regarded his son with an odd expression before placing an arm on his shoulder. "I want you at my soiree tonight."

"Really, Father?" Draco beamed, and Lucius knew his son had been waiting for this invitation for a long time. He decided it was time to initiate his son into his escapades properly. Perhaps a little trust and responsibility would send him the right way forward.

Lucius nodded. "Also, did you do anything to Granger last night?"

"I took her virginity," Draco smirked, his hands in his pockets. "She fought tooth and nail for it, but she was no match for me. Why do you ask?"

"Just her submissive nature towards me this morning, as well as the puffy eyes and bruise on her cheek," remarked Lucius. "I'm proud of you, son," Lucius said as he walked off, knowing how much those little words meant to his son.

*

It had been an hour since Narcissa's luncheon had finished, and he was glad to be letting his own friends into the manor. He couldn't be doing with so many high society women running about, even if they did pay him the respect he deserved. Lucius opened the door to find Dolohov and Avery standing there, each with a bottle of firewhisky in their hands. My, he could stock up on the stuff for a year with the amount his friends brought every time they visited.

"Granger will take your coats," Lucius smirked, moving aside to show a very submissive and dutiful Hermione Granger.

"Granger?" Avery asked. "As in, _the_ Hermione Granger? Potter's best friend?"

Lucius nodded proudly and looked towards Granger, who had a fleeting look of annoyance on her face. "Indeed. Now, into the parlour, gentlemen. Almost everyone is here." Lucius turned to Granger before following them, speaking in a warning tone. "Keep your annoyance to yourself, Mudblood."

"How are things, Lucius?" Dolohov asked as Lucius seated himself in one of the leather armchairs, Granger standing off to the corner.

"Fantastic," he said. "I'm rounding up all the Mudbloods who thought they could evade us by hiding with Half- and-Purebloods."

"Must be tiresome work," Dolohov said. "But worth it, I'm sure."

Lucius nodded. "Indeed. Which reminds me, I don't suppose any of you know anything about this Mudblood Correction Facility, do you?"

Most shook their heads, but Rodolphus cleared his throat. "I do."

"Enlighten us," Lucius smiled coldly. "I was under the impression it was nothing but a rumour."

Rodolphus grinned from ear to ear. "Oh no, it is most certainly not a rumour. A few months ago, the Dark Lord asked me to set one up. Well, I'm about three weeks from finishing, and it should open around the same time as Hogwarts does."

"Perfect timing," muttered Severus, seemingly a little put out. "And you are...?"

"The Headmaster, yes," Rodolphus said proudly. "Not jealous, are you, Snape?"

Severus shook his head. "I am Headmaster of Hogwarts, Lestrange. I have no need to be jealous of a correction facility for the lowest form of life in our world."

"How dare you!" Rodolphus screeched, and Lucius put his hand up to silence them both. After a few minutes of aggravated silence, Lucius turned to Rodolphus again.

"How do you plan to fill this facility? Just empty the shanty towns?"

"Pretty much," Rodolphus said, a little calmer now. "The Dark Lord thinks that Mudbloods are defiling our streets. If they can be put to some use, they should be. Otherwise, they're as good as dead."

Lucius nodded curtly. "And what about those already serving?"

"Don't worry, Malfoy, your slavegirl is safe," Rodolphus snickered, all the others bar Severus joining in. "She won't be moved in unless you request it."

Annoyed, and more than a little embarrassed that they thought he cared about his slave, he called Granger over. "Here, girl."

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Avery asked. "Showing us how much you love her?"

"Don't forget who you are talking to," Lucius snarled, glaring around the room and then settling his eyes on Granger, who was standing by his side. "Get us some more firewhiskey," he commanded, and challenged the others to say something about such a simple task.

The rest of the evening went a little more smoothly, but there was still a lot of tension in the air. Lucius had always found there was competitiveness between the Death Eaters, and since he had always been one of the Dark Lord's most faithful, he was right in the firing line to be the butt of many atrocious and disrespectful jokes.

"Oi, Malfoy," Nott called. "Your little Mudblood seems to have fallen asleep in our service."

Furious that Granger had embarrassed him in front of his friends, and given them another excuse to attack him, he stormed over to her and shook her violently awake. "What do you think you're doing, girl?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, I was just tired..." Granger looked around the room, her eyes wide and more than a little scared.

Lucius decided he had to teach her a lesson she would never forget, so he dragged her by her hair into the centre of the room. "Have at her, lads," he said casually, throwing her into their arms. "But don't fuck her."

"No!" Granger squealed. "You can't do this! Malfoy!"

"Father..." Draco started, but soon shut up when he saw Lucius' face.

Dolohov smirked. "It would appear the younger Malfoy cares for her too, does it?"

"Neither of us cares for her," Lucius snapped. "Do you think I'd let you lot touch her if I did?"

"He has a point," Avery muttered, and Lucius sat back in his armchair as the Death Eaters crowded around Granger. Her screams reverberated off the walls and hurt his ears, and the only people still seated were Draco, Severus and himself.

Lucius watched mercilessly as the Death Eaters tore off the little robes she wore and had her naked in no time. They treated her like an animal, pulling at her body from all sides, and though there were several of them, it didn't take them long to all have themselves spent. Though she struggled throughout the whole ordeal, there were just too many of them, and she really hadn't stood a chance. She hadn't been fucked by them, not yet anyway, for Lucius knew Draco wanted to spend a bit more time with her like that.

"Finished?" Lucius asked as they all started to sit back into their seats. He looked towards the crumpled and disgusting mess that was Hermione Granger. She was lying flat on the floor, semen all over her body, and she didn't seem to be making any attempt to get up. "Back to the corner," he demanded, and she scrambled up at once, collecting her robes.

"I think it best I was off," Severus said, and Lucius knew that these type of parties made him incredibly uncomfortable. Lucius didn't know why, but he'd never bothered to ask, and showed his friend out the door.

"And the rest of you?" Lucius turned to the remaining Death Eaters. He'd had enough of them and their snipes, just because they had absolutely no way of getting close to the Dark Lord.

"Bored of us, Malfoy? Or just want to have some fun of your own with the Mudblood?" Dolohov dared to tease him.

"Out!" Lucius commanded, in a tone that made Granger jump, and glared profusely at them as they left. Once gone, he sat down in his armchair and looked at his son. "You will have to learn to deal with their jibes, Draco. They are only jealous."

Draco nodded, and turned his head towards Granger, who was sobbing quietly in the corner. "What are we going to do about her?"

"Do whatever you want, I don't want her tonight," Lucius said simply, taking one look at her come soaked body and wanting to retch. He watched Draco get up and lead her out of the room, at which point he got himself another glass of firewhiskey.

Lucius had always been a man who could take a lot, and he had no problems with putting Mudbloods in their rightful place, but he really didn't want to have to look her after she'd been used and abused by someone other than him, even if it was his doing. Besides, it ought to teach her a valuable lesson and sustain her obedience streak.

*

It was only days away from the Autumn Ball, and a week after that both Hogwarts and the Mudblood Correction Facility would be opened. Autumn was always a busy time, but as far as Lucius was concerned, not for any decent reasons. He attended the balls to keep up appearances, and he knew he'd have to turn up at the opening days of both schools, for he was a powerful influence. Rodolphus has asked him to make a speech, and then an example of out Granger, so the Mudbloods wouldn't get any ideas.

Right now she was standing in front of him, and he eyed her cautiously. She seemed to stopped fighting all together, but Lucius had expected that, since she was a smart girl and wouldn't want to impede her survival by refusing to swallow her pride. Whilst Lucius loved the obedience, he hated the fact that it was false, and all she was doing was plotting an escape.

"My wife wants you to serve at the Autumn Ball this Saturday," he said darkly. "If you embarrass either of us, I will not be kind in your punishment. The whipping you received earlier is nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you ruin one of my wife's biggest nights of the year."

Granger gulped, and Lucius knew she didn't doubt his abilities to make her suffer. "Yes, Sir."

"You will be serving the drinks and _hors d'oeuvres_. Do not disobey anyone unless you think I wouldn't approve," he remarked. "If there is any trouble, come and find me. I know what the Death Eaters can be like once they've had a few to drink, and though you deserve their harsh treatment, you are my toy to play with, not theirs."

"What if I can't find you?" Granger asked tentatively, looking as though she was playing a horrible scene in her head.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," said Lucius. "Now, I want to ask you about my son. How is he treating you?"

Granger seemed to look as if she was trying to sugarcoat what she was about to say. "He likes to... use me, in _that_ way."

"Of course," Lucius smirked. "I would too, if it weren't for Narcissa. And how do you like it?"

"I don't," she responded carefully, eyes averted from his gaze. "Why would I?"

"My son is a very handsome young man," said Lucius. "Anyone in your position would simply be happy he'd looked at them."

"Yes, well," Granger bit her lip, as though she didn't want to spark off an argument. "I'm not just anyone."

Lucius nodded in agreement. "Indeed. You are Hermione Granger. My _slave_." He let out a little chuckle as she winced at his words, and then waved her away. He picked up a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ , noticing that most of the articles were on the Mudblood Correction Facility, rather than the usual ones on Hogwarts that they had. Lucius suspected Severus would be none too pleased, particularly with all the hard work he'd been putting in to make sure no Mudbloods passed through Hogwarts' doors.

Stepping upstairs and into his bedroom, he trawled through his wardrobe, knowing perfectly well Narcissa would want to vet his outfit before the ball. Whilst he didn't exactly like Narcissa having control, he didn't mind her thinking that she did, as it tended to keep her in line. Obedience with his wife had never been an issue, as she had been brought up well, but he'd never hesitated to put her in her place when she stepped too far over the mark. He knew one of the reasons she liked ordering Granger around was because it was some control she was certain she had.

Alas, when it came to balls and anything else social, he tended to let her lead the reigns, since he wouldn't enjoy it anyway. Besides, she practically lived for being a society lady, and he didn't want to take that away from her by stopping the exact events that climbed her up the social ladder even more so than having him as a husband did.

"Narcissa," he called down the corridor, for he'd seen her in the music room on his way up. "Here's my outfit for the ball."

Narcissa walked into the room and started placing the garments in front of him, "mm-ing" and "aah-ing" from every different angle. Eventually she seemed happy and smiled at him, placing them back down on the bed. "You'll look lovely." _Good_ , Lucius thought, _because I wasn't going to change them_.

*

"Remember, Mudblood," Lucius said sternly. "This is one of the biggest nights of the year, and if you so much as breathe wrong I'll make sure you'll never forget it. Is that understood?"

Granger nodded, staring down at the floor. Lucius took in her figure; she was a lot bigger than she had been when they'd first bought her, but back then she'd been nothing more than a skeleton, so that wasn't saying much. The dress robes Narcissa had provided for her tonight were revealing and tight around all the appropriate areas, showing off the bruises Draco had obviously inflicted during their sessions together. Unfortunately for Lucius, they seemed to be becoming more frequent, and he wasn't exactly happy about it. She was supposed to be his slave, and yet he hardly ever used her.

"In," Lucius said as he pointed towards the door, and then went off to find Narcissa. They were going to make their grand entrance together, by which time Granger should be handing out drinks and snacks.

"Lucius!" called Narcissa sharply as he made his way into the entrance hall, by the double doors to the ballroom. "Where've you been?"

"I was instructing the Mudblood," he said calmly, linking Narcissa's arm in his. "Now, shall we enter?" Narcissa nodded, and as they opened the doors everyone stopped what they were doing to watch them walk in. He nodded curtly to people as he passed them, leading his wife onto the dancefloor. When they were perfectly positioned, the band started playing, and he led Narcissa round the ballroom. It was customary for the first dance to be had by the hosts, but for Lucius, it couldn't end quickly enough. As they waltzed, his eyes fell on Granger, who was in the corner of the room, Draco by her side. He seemed to be whispering something in her ear, and he noticed her eyes turn fiery. Inside he chuckled, for she still had a lot of her old self in her.

"Focus," Narcissa whispered harshly into her ear. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Lucius muttered and turning his gaze away, though he kept stealing glances throughout the dance. Finally, when it was over, he went over to Granger and took a firewhiskey off her tray, downing it in one. He turned to her and smiled viciously. "What did Draco want?"

"The night with me," Granger responded weakly. "He was telling me all the things he wanted to do to me."

Lucius shook his head. "I don't think so. Tonight, Mudblood, you're coming to my room after the ball." Without waiting for her response, he shifted around the room, willing time to pass quicker than it was. He wasn't exactly sure why he wanted her in his room, for he had no intentions of doing anything sexual to her because of Narcissa. He just knew he wanted her away from Draco. Jealousy, probably.

"How is she faring up?"

"Mm?" Lucius turned around as Severus joined him by his side, indicating Granger. "Oh, right. Fine. She doesn't fight anymore. I figure she spends all her time trying to figure out how to escape."

Severus chuckled. "Silly girl."

"Indeed," Lucius agreed. "How is the preparation for Hogwarts going? Managed to weed out all the Mudblood applications?"

"Finally, yes," Severus sighed, "and then I passed them all over to Lestrange. He's hunting them down as we speak, which is why he isn't here tonight."

"Oh, I thought I was just unpopular," Lucius laughed, taking another tumbler of firewhiskey off Granger's tray as she walked on by. "He wants me to make an example out of her," he said in a low tone, "though it's not as if she's done anything to warrant it apart from her blood status. You know me, Severus, firm but fair. I refuse to inflict needless violence like a common Muggle."

"Perhaps you could get him to do it?" Severus suggested.

Lucius shook his head. "I tried that, but he wants me to do it. He tries flattering me by talking about my power and influence, and the Mudbloods having heard of me. I'm just hoping she stumbles up and forgets her manners or something. If I get desperate enough I'll probably end up trying to rile her."

"Well, good luck with that," said Severus, patting Lucius on the back. "You're still on for the speech on my opening day?"

"Of course," Lucius said politely. "I haven't started writing it yet, though. You open on the Monday, correct?" Severus nodded. "Right, well the Mudblood Correction Facility opens next Saturday. Rest assured I will put effort into _your_ speech at the very least, Severus."

The rest of the evening seemed to drag on, and as Narcissa chatted with her society ladies and danced with many a Death Eater, Lucius could only keep his eyes on Granger. He was intrigued at how she responded when spoken to, and he found it fascinating how she seemed to be able to hold her tongue in situations where they were determined to rile her up. The more he was around her, and the longer she stayed in his home, the harder he seemed to find it to treat her as though she wasn't human.

On several occasions he'd seen her react exactly as he would to something; anger when being insulted, crying out when being hurt, and submitting for survival. He'd always believed Mudbloods were lower than him, and he still did, but when she acted so similar, he found it hard to think of her as different. Of course, he wouldn't let anyone know that for if the Dark Lord found out, then Lucius knew he'd be killed on the spot, or tortured for hours on end before eventually dying.

Neither sounded like a fate he wanted to face.

"Thank you for such a lovely evening," Avery's wife said to him as she pulled on her fur coat. "We'd best be off now, though."

"You're very welcome, Marcia," he smiled at her, and nodded to everyone else who deemed it necessary to thank him instead of his wife. Narcissa, he noticed when he finally got a second to himself, was across the other side of the hall by the coat room, glaring at him as though it was his fault they'd decided to bother him. As another couple walked towards him, he darted out of their way and across of the ballroom to where Granger was standing, an empty tray in her hands. "Come. Now."

"Yes, Sir," she muttered, her voice speaking volumes of insolence. It wasn't enough to make an example out of her with though.

As Lucius passed Narcissa she looked at him darkly, but he ignored her and started on the grand staircase, leaving her to say goodbye to the guests. Along the corridor to his room they were stopped by a familiar drawl behind them.

"Where do you think you're going, Mudblood?"

Lucius turned around with Granger to see Draco leant on the doorjamb to his room. He saw her mouth open to reply, but he cut in before she got a chance. "She's with me tonight, Draco."

"I told her she was to see me."

"And I told her otherwise," Lucius smiled, taking hold of Granger's arm roughly, pulling her towards him. "I have all the authority in this manor, Draco, you are well aware of that."

Draco sighed and disappeared into his room, and Lucius dropped hold of Granger as he turned back to his own bedroom.

"Draco might tell you he's in complete control when he's with you," Lucius said, "but really, he knows it's me, and you'd do well to remember that."

Granger merely nodded and stepped into the room Lucius indicated, standing beside the bed and clearly waiting for instruction. He never gave it, though, sitting down at his desk to start on the speeches he had to write. He half hoped she'd become impatient and start bothering him, but he wasn't sure how patient she was. Just as he finished his first speech, he heard her shuffle in her position and clear her throat.

"Want something?" Lucius said, though he didn't look up.

"No, Sir."

Lucius noted it was another fifteen minutes before she spoke once more, this time with impatience and impertinence in her voice. Perhaps this was the moment he'd been waiting for to make an example out of her for.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Lucius swivelled around in his chair to face her. "Miss Draco, do you?" he chuckled, and stood up, crossing the room until he was in front of her.

"Of course not," she responded. "I just... I thought you weren't going to do anything with me...?"

"I'm not," Lucius said casually. "Don't question your master, girl."

Granger nodded submissively, and her eyes seemed to glaze over. An action Lucius did not miss.

"Why did your eyes glaze over?" he asked sharply. "Mudblood! Answer me, now!" When she did not respond he slapped her face hard, knocking her to the ground; he forgot his own strength sometimes. "I demand you tell me this instant!"

"I don't know," Granger responded softly, shuffling backwards until she hit the bed and then curling her knees towards her chest protectively. "I don't know."

Lucius worried his lip; as far as he was aware there were only two reasons a person's eyes would react like that. One, that they were using drugs and/or alcohol, and two, that they had used magic. Had she done either of them she would have to be severely punished, and had she done the latter he would have no choice but to send her to her death.

"Did you drink tonight?" Lucius asked fiercely, half hoping she would answer yes. Instead, she shook her head. "I don't believe you," he spat, taking out his wand and checking with magic. She had been telling the truth. He stared down at her, his eyes piercing into her skull before he spoke extremely quietly. "You used magic."

"I, I... I didn't," Granger said, but she was worrying her lip and staring straight at the floor.

"Don't lie to me," he said darkly, his teeth clenched. "Is this why you've been so compliant? Why you don't spark off as easily?"

Granger nodded slowly.

"How did you do it? I know you haven't been near my wand, and you're not powerful enough to cast wandless magic."

"Malfoy left his wand on the bedside table after he fell asleep..." she said solemnly, lifting her head but refusing to meet his eyes.

Lucius gulped. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"Death," she replied quietly, staring towards the window showing the rain cascading down the panes. "I know."

"Then why did you do it?" he almost screamed, unable to control his temper and frustration at her stupidity.

"Why do you even care?"

"None of your business," Lucius said, starting to pace up and down the room. Although he'd wanted her to do something he could make an example out of her for, doing something like this reflected badly on him too, for it showed he wasn't in complete control of his slave. It wouldn't be death for him, but it would be a long few months. He would take her to the opening of the Mudblood Correction Facility, and instead of just torturing her as Lestrange had wanted, it would end with her death.

At least Lestrange would be getting a good show, he thought.

*

Lucius hadn't told anyone about Granger's use of magic, and perhaps, if he'd grown attached to her it could have stayed that way. Alas, he hadn't, and even if he had he wouldn't risk his own life for one of a Mudblood's. A simple Legilimens from someone like Bellatrix, or even the Dark Lord, and it would be exposed immediately. Everyone would be expecting a simple torture scene. Lucius knew that, and he couldn't deny he wanted to see the shock and surprise that would be on their faces after he uttered the death curse.

"Mudblood!" Lucius called up the stairs, and seconds later she was running down them in her raggedy brown robes. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Granger muttered, back to her old self as she grabbed hold of his outstretched arm for side along Apparition.

They arrived in no time outside a large building that looked like an abandoned warehouse. There were iron gates all around the perimeters, which he didn't doubt would soon have magical wards on them to stop the Mudbloods from escaping. The ground was completely concrete, bits of grass coming up in between the cracks, and from an old sign that had been left on the floor, it seemed as though the place was a Muggle orphanage before. _How fitting_ , Lucius thought.

"You weren't as bad as I thought," Granger said quite loudly as they started towards the door.

"You kept your true self hidden, so I didn't need to be," he said darkly. "Had you fought me constantly, we would have been approaching the subject of your death a lot earlier than this." Without knocking, Lucius stepped into the building and pushed Granger inside. The hall was empty, but Lucius disregarded that fact as he went straight to the bottom of it and turned to the right, where there was a small door. "I'm not giving you a chance to make this difficult, Mudblood," he hissed into her ear as he grabbed her arm tightly. " _Imperio_ ," he whispered as he entered the room. There were absolutely no way he was going to let her get away with misbehaving and embarrassing him in front of everyone.

"Ahh, Lucius," Rodolphus said darkly. "I was just explaining to the Mudbloods exactly why they shouldn't misbehave, but I'm sure you'll do a much better job."

Lucius nodded curtly and glanced around the room before climbing the small steps to the stage Rodolphus was standing on. There were, what looked like, well over a hundred Mudbloods seated on the wooden floor, cross legged and wary eyed, staring at him suspiciously. Most of them looked like they'd been dragged there kicking and screaming, and then realised fighting wasn't a good idea when they ended up with bruised faces and cut lips.

"I am Lucius Malfoy," he said loudly to the room as he now stood in the center of the stage, Granger awkwardly by his side. "But of course, most of you will already know that. For those that don't, I am a force to be reckoned with, and should any of you cross my path, you will deeply regret it. Miss Granger here did not get a chance. We've had many a difficult day, and as you'll see, she paid dearly for it." Lucius swivelled Granger around and lifted up her robes, revealing the scars that the whip had left there. There were gasps around the room as he traced his fingers along them, and she flinched as he pressed into them.

"Don't worry, you won't be missing out," he said viciously. "If you misbehave, you can get exactly the same treatment as my slave here. Now, a lot of you may have heard of the once bright Hermione Granger. Well, would you care to look at her now?" The heads of all the Mudbloods stared straight into her blank and empty eyes as he turned her back round to face the crowd. "She thought fighting was worth it, until I made her pay for it, and then she came to her senses. Clever girl," he said as he patronisingly patted her on the head. "Unfortunately, she hasn't quite managed to be completely obedient yet, have you girl?"

"No, Sir," she said passively, her eyes still gazing about all the heads of the Mudbloods and seemingly focusing on the white wall at the far end of the room.

"On your knees," Lucius ordered, seeing the smirking face of Rodolphus behind Granger and wanting to smack it for being so pretentious. She obeyed and he took a step back as he fished his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at her. "Now," he turned to address the crowd of Mudbloods, "should you misbehave you can be punished in one of several ways. By the Cruciatus Curse..." Thinking of everything Granger had done to piss him and his son off over the years he fired the spell at her, sending her writhing on her back on the floor, screeching in pain. When he finally withdrew his wand she was drenched in sweat and shaking vividly. "Or, something more physical. A cane if you please, Rodolphus."

Rodolphus didn't seem to take to being ordered about by Lucius, but fetched him a cane from the corner of the room as asked. "Here," he said tersely, stepping over Granger's now limp body.

"Stand and bend over, Mudblood," Lucius said as harshly as he could manage, kicking her into action. "Facing away from me, yes, that's right." He faced the crowd once more. "The amount of lashings you get will depend on your 'crime' and the type of implement used. With a whip you can be struck up to a hundred times on your back, and believe me when I say Granger managed to fall at forty. A cane, however, will only get you a maximum of twenty four on your arse, but don't underestimate the effect it can have. Granger will be given ten today."

As Lucius brought the cane down on Granger's unblemished and perfect skin, gasps erupted around the room as blood was immediately dripping from out of the long, thin wound and Granger howled in pain. When he brought the cane down again he purposefully aimed away from the last hit, but after five, he could not longer avoid re-going over old wounds, sending her into a frenzied state. As he delivered the swift last hit, Granger fell to the floor and crawled up into a foetus position, sobbing lightly.

"What I just gave her is less than half of the full amount you could be given. Unless you want to end up looking like Granger does, I'd make sure I was on my best behaviour," Lucius said as he smirked to the crowd of extremely scared Mudbloods sat in front of him. "Get up, Granger. You have something to say to me."

Granger nodded as she rose from the ground, unsteady on her feet, her hair matted with sweat. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"Good girl," Lucius patronised her, but inside his stomach was churning and he felt positively sick. He hated to resort to physical violence, particularly seeing the effects of it and the blood afterwards. Watching her go through the pain and react like a normal human being was enough to stop him ending her life. He hated her, hated her kind for what they'd tried to do to his world, but after living with her so long he didn't think he could go through with killing her. "I think we'd best be getting off now, there are many more _activities_ you are wanted for at home."

Rodolphus stepped forward as Lucius dragged Granger off the stage. "Thank you, Lucius, but before you leave, I'd like a word with you. If you'd care to wait in the hall I'll be out in a second."

Lucius nodded curtly as himself and Granger stepped into the hall, closing the door quietly behind them. "What the hell does he want?" Lucius muttered under his breath as he started to pace up and down, passing Granger as she saw fit to lean herself on the staircase.

"Sir, I thought you were going to --"

"Ssh!" Lucius stopped in his tracks and quieted her in a low tone. "Keep your mouth shut, Granger."

"Yes, Sir," Granger replied as Rodolphus, Avery and Dolohov confidently swept into the hallway. Lucius noticed her look up at them doe-eyed and cursed himself for not releasing her of the Imperius.

"Enter the room on your left, Lucius," Rodolphus said, pushing Granger toward him.

Lucius did not appreciate the manhandling of his own slave, but nonetheless he said nothing about it as he entered the plush leather office and sat on one of the sofas. Granger stood awkwardly by the doorway until he motioned for her to kneel at his feet, knowing that would be the only appropriate indication they'd want him to give her. "Why are you taking up my time, Lestrange?"

"Fine," Rodolphus sighed. "I'll make this quick. That girl," and he pointed to Granger as he spoke, "is under the Imperius curse. Why?"

Lucius really shouldn't have been surprised that Rodolphus had noticed; after all, they'd both practised it on many a person over the years and seen the effects, but in a glimmer of hope he'd thought Rodolphus would be paying more attention to the other Mudbloods than his. "Spur of the moment thing." He wasn't exactly lying, after all.

"Is she not under your control, Lucius? Is that why?" mocked Dolohov.

"Certainly not!" Lucius almost shouted. "I'm not standing here and listening to this. Come on, Mudblood." As Granger started to rise, Avery blocked the door.

"I don't think so," said Rodolphus. "Release her from the spell."

Lucius sighed and bit his lip as he pointed his wand at Granger. " _Finite Incantenum_. Happy now?"

"Not yet." Rodolphus started to circle Granger, putting her on edge with apprehension filling her eyes. There was a lot more emotion in them now, and she looked about ready to pounce should anyone touch her. "Knees, Mudblood."

Thinking they were going to find out that Granger wasn't exactly under his control, he inwardly sighed and closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he found her on her knees at Rodolphus' feet. He managed to keep the relief he felt inside off his face, for he knew if it got out that he hadn't managed to tame her yet, she'd be taken away.

"She a good fuck, Malfoy? Last time you wouldn't let us use her because of him," Avery noted.

Lucius shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I'd rather not put my Pureblood body in her filthy Mudblood one."

"You --" Dolohov started, but Rodolphus put out a hand to stop him attacking Lucius.

"Not all of us are married, Lucius," said Avery. "We don't all have the luxury of forcing our Pureblooded wives to succumb to our every need."

"I don't force Narcissa," Lucius spat, glaring coldly at the three men in front of Granger. "Now, is there something you want or can we go now? I'm getting quite bored of your incessant ramblings." He wanted to get out of there before they said something that set Granger off, because although she seemed to have realised she was in serious danger, she was a fiery sort.

"Yes, there is something we want," Rodolphus smiled sweetly at him. "Her."

"Fine," Lucius said dismissively and sat down on the sofa, praying with everything he had that Granger would just go through with it and not fight like last time. "But hurry up. I have things to do."

"I tell you what, Malfoy," said Rodolphus, stepping towards him. "You go off and complete your business, since you seem so eager to do so, and we'll have fun with your Mudblood here. Sound good?"

"I --"

Dolohov cut him off. "Go on, Malfoy, go complete your errands. She'll be fine with us. You can come and collect her when you're done."

Lucius gritted his teeth, but he knew there was no other way out of this other than to leave Granger with them, and hope she would behave. He left the facility reeling with anger, Apparating straight back the manor and wandering exactly how he was supposed to occupy himself for the next few hours. He didn't know how long he was supposed to take, but he knew it would have to be at least more than an hour, and preferably two, or it'd start to look suspicious.

But the longer Lucius left Granger with them, the more chance there was of her misbehaving.

"Two hours," he said aloud to the seemingly empty manor. "I'll go back in two hours."

"Father?" Draco walked into the study, and Lucius eyed him suspicously. "You'll go back where in two hours? And where's Granger?"

"I left her at the Mudblood Correction Facility. They wanted their go with her and I said I had errands to run."

Draco looked confused. "Why?"

"Nevermind," Lucius said hurriedly, pacing the room.

"It's because she won't behave, isn't it?"

Lucius sighed; Draco had always been far too smart for his own good. "Yes."

"Will they kill her?" Draco looked concerned, which worried Lucius; he hadn't started to develop feelings for Granger, had he?

"I doubt it," he replied. "But they might kill me for not being able to control her."

"But you're one of our Lord's most faithful Death Eaters. You're his right hand man!"

Lucius eyed his son cautiously. "There's no point in fooling ourselves any longer, Draco. Our name hasn't been great since I failed the Prophecy mission and you failed to kill Dumbledore, and they know it. One word to the Dark Lord and we could be very well fucked."

"Then why did you get first choice of Mudbloods?" Draco asked, his teeth worrying his lips.

"It's called _keeping up appearances_ , Draco," Lucius responded harshly. "I don't care for Granger, I don't care if they decide they want to take her off us, but I _do_ care if the Dark Lord decides our family needs to be punished _because_ of her."

"I understand," Draco said softly, but Lucius really didn't think he did. "There's nothing we can do?"

Lucius shook his head, and Draco took a seat next to him on the sofa. They spent the next two hours in absolute silence, both staring into the floor and hoping beyond all hope that the girl they'd spent the last several months mistreating wouldn't rat them out.

"I think it's been two hours," Draco said at last, his voice hoarse from not speaking or drinking anything in the last couple of hours.

Lucius nodded. "Right. If I don't return by tonight, or you don't hear anything from me, take your mother and go into hiding. If I don't come back, it won't be safe for you. Understand?"

"Yes," said Draco quietly, gulping, and Lucius didn't stare at his son too long before leaving. He had to face the music sooner or later, to find out if the little Mudblood had put his family in jeopardy.

Lucius wasn't cold, but as he stepped out of the manor to Apparate he pulled his collar to his chest in what he assumed was a protective measure. Arriving outside the Mudblood Correction Facility filled him with dread, and he quickly made his way into the office.

The sight he was greeted with was not pretty. Granger was standing in the middle of the room with her arms above her head, chained to the ceiling, and she was standing on her tiptoes. Her body was marred, and he only had to look at the instruments in the hands of the men around the room to see why. There was more blood on the floor than he suspected was in her body, and she hung limply toward the floor, almost unconscious.

"There you are, Lucius," Avery said cheerfully, brandishing a long whip with spikes on it in his hand.

"You know she's going to die soon, right?" Lucius asked quietly as he shut the door behind him.

"Do you care?" Dolohov asked, a wooden paddle in his hand, and Lucius shook his head. "In any case, we have no intention of killing her, Malfoy, we're just taking her to the brink of death and back. Killing her would be far too lenient."

"Indeed," Rodolphus agreed. "We're just teaching her how to behave. Something you seemed to have failed to do."

The silence around the room was deadly, and Lucius was afraid to breathe out for fear of what would come next. He didn't speak, they clearly wanted the upper hand here, and he was more than happy to give it to them, rather than put his foot in it even more than it already was.

"So." Avery said. "What exactly _have_ you been doing with her, Malfoy?"

"Nothing, really," Lucius responded. "She's been more useful to my wife and son than she has to me."

Rodolphus nodded knowingly. "So it would seem. Your wife used her for household chores, correct?"

Lucius nodded, wondering where this line of questioning was going.

"And your son, what did he use her for?" continued Rodolphus.

"I don't really know," Lucius said. "I know he raped her several times."

"Yes, yes, Draco did rape her several times, Lucius. But do you know what else your son has been up to?"

Lucius shook his head, praying it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Well let me enlighten you. He's been caring for her," Avery snickered. "And just two days ago he said he loved her."

"What?" Lucius said, mouth wide open with shock. "No, that can't be... Draco wouldn't do that. Draco wouldn't fall for a _Mudblood_ ," he said spitefully, looking at Granger like she was a piece of filth.

"Oh, but he has," Dolohov smirked. "She told us herself. Under Veritaserum, of course."

"It makes you wonder, Lucius, why anyone would entrust a feisty little bitch under your care, when you cannot even control your own son, doesn't it?" Rodolphus said harshly. "It just doesn't seem right to me that you should have the _privilege_ of holding Potter's little slut when you don't even know what your own son gets up to under your own roof."

"Have her then," said Lucius desperately, not wanting his family to get caught up in the mess a Mudblood whore had created. Because, clearly, she had tricked Draco into loving her. He wasn't _that_ low.

"It isn't that simple, Lucius," replied Dolohov. "I think the Dark Lord should know about this. What do you say, boys?"

Avery and Rodolphus nodded in unison. "Oh yes, I really think our Lord deserves to know that his _right hand man_ has gone soft, and that his young, budding Death Eater has fallen in love with a _Mudblood_."

There was nothing Lucius could do now, he knew it. To beg the likes of them would be far below his station, and would prove them right.

Lucius could only hope the Dark Lord would be merciless and spare his family. He turned to leave, but there was one more thing he wanted to do, and he walked up to Granger and slapped her around the face, though with the amount of blood loss he realised she probably wouldn't have felt it.

But it made him feel better, all the same.

*

"It's the Malfoys," the Dark Lord said snidely as Lucius and Draco walked into the Headquarters of the Death Eaters. It was their weekly meeting, and they'd both seriously considered not attending. However, if they were ever caught, they would be killed in an instant.

At least this way they would have a chance of survival.

"Sorry we're late, my Lord," Lucius bowed, as was customary, and then rose to meet his eyes. In the corner of his eye he noticed Granger at the foot of the throne. She was covered in bruises and cuts, and was extremely pale, probably from the amount of blood she'd lost a few days ago. Rodolphus must have given her several potions to make sure she was concious and able to attend this meeting, as well as understanding what was going on.

"You should be," the Dark Lord said. "We have a lot of business to deal with today. Do you think we should start with your inability to control your family, let alone your Mudblood? Or shall we begin with the fact that your son fell in love with said Mudblood?"

Lucius gulped and breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry, my Lord. This was never meant to happen -- that bitch, she put my son under some sort of spell. She can cast wandless magic, you know!" As soon as it slipped out, Lucius clasped a hand to his mouth, realising he'd dropped himself in it even more so.

"Really? And you would know that, how? I mean, unless she did some, but of course, you'd have told us of that already, wouldn't you?"

Lucius avoided meeting the Dark Lord's eyes, but he felt His penetrating gaze.

"Or not, so it would seem. What else have you been keeping from us, Lucius?"

"Nothing, my Lord. Really, nothing else," he said desperately, with a shred of hope he wouldn't be killed for the many times he'd stepped miles over the line.

"I know, Lucius. And do you know how I know?" Lucius shook his head and the Dark Lord indicated the trembling Granger at his feet. "Because she showed us everything. So what are we to do with you?"

"Please spare my wife and son, my Lord," Lucius pleaded, twiddling with his hands behind his back.

The Dark Lord smiled sweetly, a sickly sweet smile that sent chills down Lucius' back. "Oh, I have no intentions of killing any member of your family, Lucius. However, I'm going to make you pay for the disgrace you've brought upon me and your family name. _Crucio_!"

Lucius fell to the floor in agony; a thousand pins felt as though they were being pushed into his body and he screamed with everything he had, his throat hoarse in a manner of seconds. His veins felt as though they were going to pop out of his skin and he clawed at himself as though that would help to relieve the pain. Then, after what felt like hours but was probably only mere minutes, the curse was lifted.

"That was just for starters," the Dark Lord said darkly. He turned his attention to Draco, who was drenched in sweat, and it was at that moment that Lucius realised the Dark Lord was the devil incarnate.

*

Lucius opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first before it started to adjust to the light of the room and he remembered where he was. Those familiar white tiles were always what had stuck out of St Mungo's for him, and when Narcissa had had a complicated birth, he'd spent many hours staring at them. It was the third time he'd woke up since he'd been admitted, but he hadn't managed to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. As he looked around the room he saw his old friend Severus sat on a chair by his bed and nodded at him.

"My apologies for missing your opening day," Lucius said calmly, steadying himself as he tried to put himself in a sitting position.

"That is quite all right," said Severus as he sat by Lucius' hospital bed. "It is clear you were otherwise engaged."

Lucius nodded. "Unfortunately so. How is Draco?" Nobody had told him any news of his son, whether he'd been admitted to hospital too or, if he had, how he was doing. Though they seemed perfectly willing to help heal him, as per their job, they didn't converse with him and considered him a dangerous force.

"Draco is doing well. He is being discharged this afternoon, actually. That's why I'm here. His injuries weren't as severe as yours; they say you'll be in here at least another week," Severus said regrettably.

Lucius nodded. "And Narcissa? I take it she is at Draco's bedside?"

"She is," Severus confirmed. "She's hardly left the hospital. The Healers are starting to get quite irate with her, since every time they shoo her out of Draco's room she makes her way into yours."

Despite the situation, Lucius couldn't help but chuckle, but coughed as he did so, his side feeling as though it was splitting open. "Too soon to laugh, then," he said almost humorously. "How is she doing? Where has she been staying? The manor? The Dark Lord didn't touch her, did he?

Severus shook his head quickly. "No. The Dark Lord has been nowhere near her, and she's been staying with me; she said she didn't want to be in the manor on her own, so I let her have the spare bedroom. It's not very big, and it doesn't have much to offer her, but she seems happy. Not that she's there that often, though. She's doing fine, but as can be expected, tired, weary and extremely concerned for her family."

"And, dare I ask what has become of Granger?" he asked tersely.

"You may. The Dark Lord had her admitted to the Mudblood Correction Facility. She's alive, they have no plans of killing her, but I'd say it was a fate worse than death. I don't think you'll be allowed her back, though, if that's what you really wanted to ask."

Lucius shook his head. "No, that's not what I wanted to ask, but I suppose Draco did." Severus confirmed this by nodding. "And what is to become of Draco and I once we've both left this place?"

"You'll be out of favour and action for a long time to come, Lucius, but there's a saving grace for you," said Severus, and Lucius indicated for him to continue. "There's been a sighting of Potter, so his attentions are strictly on him. As far as he's concerned at the moment, you've never even existed. Just make sure you keep a low profile once you get out."

"Don't worry, I will," said Lucius, arranging his pillow into a more comfortable position. "What time is it?"

"Five 'o clock, so I'll have to be going now," Severus said, nodding at his best friend as he stood up. "Draco's about to be discharged and Narcissa wanted me to be there."

"Look after them both, won't you?" Lucius asked quietly, aware he was showing his one weakness: his family.

Severus nodded. "I will. And don't strain yourself, either. You'll be no good to them if you're in here any longer than you have to be."

Knowing what Severus meant as his oldest friend left the room, Lucius lay back down; as much as he hated to admit it he needed his rest right about now. He wanted desperately to be back with his family, for it seemed that someone, somewhere, had decided they should have a free pass. That was something he wasn't going to waste.

Lucius thought back to the day he purchased Granger, realising it was the worst mistake he'd ever made and regretting that he'd ever done it. At the time it seemed nothing but a bit of fun, but now he was in St Mungo's, fun was far away. As he closed his eyes to rest, flashes of the Dark Lord inflicting the Cruciatus curse on him over and over again went through his mind, and he heard both his own and Draco's screaming in his head.

It would be a long time before he could sleep without the sound of his family's distress replaying in his head, but at least, for now, they were safe. As far as Lucius was concerned, that was all that mattered.


End file.
